Nothing like waking up in the morning with another day of chronic pain.
Sore knees? Stiff neck? Maybe it’s the back spasms from your last gym session? Help is on the way!
Rick Olderman, sports and orthopedic physical therapist with more than 25 years experience, and author of the popular Fixing You® series of books, is here to help!Listen to the podcast interview here, or read on to summary and tips.
Working Through the Pain
Dave related his own personal case study of shoulder injury and subsequent surgery to emphasize the importance of having to push through pain in order to recover.
Sounds counter-intuitive, right?
*Rick points out that broader bones like the pelvis and shoulder blade serve as the center of function for the abdominal and neck areas respectively. If these bones are out of alignment, so will the attached muscles and ligaments. (11:00)
*Backache is the predominant chronic form of debilitating pain. Mindfully unlocking our knees when standing for longer periods of time allows the back to “flatten out” and relieves pain. This is just one of many recommendations offered by Rick.
“My whole approach is that we have to change how we’re using our body to solve our chronic pain.”
Watch the interview here:
The Fix is On
Over time, Rick began to see patterns of debilitation in his patients, and he intentionally streamlined his treatments of these issues into the “Fixing You” method found on his website, RickOlderman.com. (Use coupon code “Fixingyou” to receive 20% off all of Rick’s store selections:)
Dave points out how gym-goers often move/lift incorrectly, which can cause injury. (19:00)
*After seeing hundreds of patients, Rick began to hone his approach to pain treatment in 6-7 individual exercises.
*Looking at the human body as a system rather than thousands of co-mingling parts allows doctors to better diagnose and treat pain and disease.
*Even those with chronic pain should not lose hope. Those who have sought treatment in the past (unsuccessfully) can find relief through a new approach to their pain.
The 3 Pillars Theory
Rick agrees that how you’re using your body has a lot to do with why you’re having pain.
Through his many years of experience, Rick has come to the conclusion that chronic pain has a likely origin in at least one of three sources:
1. Musculoskeletal
2. Dietary Allergens
3. Emotional/Psychological Trauma
“All three of these issues can create tension in our body that drives us into pain.” (24:30)
*Dave reminds us that Deep Health principles incorporate emotional and spiritual health in addition to diet and exercise.
*Of the 3 Pillars, Rick believes the musculoskeletal issues are primarily responsible for chronic pain.
In the end, Rick believes that people are not broken, they just don’t have the right information to put their bodies on track for healing. His whole philosophy seems to be: You may be down, but you are not out.
If you or a loved one suffer from chronic pain, make sure and check out Rick’s latest book, Solving the Pain Puzzle, now available on Amazon here!
